Activatable doll



Oct. 20, 1970 A. GOLDMAN 3,534,495

ACTIVATABLE DOLL Filed Sept. 10, 1968 INVEN TOR. APOIV GOLD/441V UnitedStates Patent 3,534,495 ACTIVATABLE DOLL Aron Goldman, New York, N.Y.(102-51 63rd Ave., Forest Hills, NY. 11375) Filed Sept. 10, 1968, Ser.No. 758,895 Int. Cl. A63h 5/00 US. Cl. 46-117 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A doll or like figurine capable of performinig acts by meansof a stream of air under pressure discharged therefrom; the compressionof the air being elfected by means of compressing a hollow, whollyclosed compressible limb of the figurine; said limb formed with anoutlet connected by an air conduit to the exterior of the figurine; saidair conduit including a one-way air valve; the limb having an air inletopening formed in its wall capable of being closed by a finger of anoperator. In a special form of the figurine, the air conduit isconnected intermediate its air valve and the exterior of the figurine toan elastic air reservoir for accomulating therein air under pressurewhen the said exterior air outlet is shut.

The present invention relates a doll; particularly to a doll of the typecapable of simulating certain human actions. More specifically, theinvention relates to a doll of the type capable of simulating such humanactions as are performed by the expulsion of breath. Such activitiesinclude the blowing up of balloons; the straighening of curled partyfavors; the actuating of sound producing devices within and without thedolls body, and the like.

Dolls capable of performances similar to the above have heretofore beenknown. However, such dolls of the prior art have either required a softand resilient walled torso or else, required the installation ofspecial, relatively complicated and costly mechanism readily subject togoing out of order; or both. Further, the activation of the prior artdolls to expel air was an obvious procedure, taking away from theinterest in playing with such doll.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide dolls ofthe character described which may have, if desired, a torso that isrigid-walled and may be suitably attired and manipulated for airexpulsion without disturbing the shape of the torso or its attire.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide dolls of thecharacter described that do not require any additions, extraneousmechanism that must be actuated to create an air stream for expulsion,even when their torso is rigid.

It is also an Object of the present invention to provide dolls of thecharacter described that are of simple and sturdy construction,utilizing a minimum of parts that are relatively durable and are simpleand easy to assemble with the doll.

It is a further object of the invention to provide dolls of thecharacter described whose activation for air expulsion is unobvious toobservers and adds an air of mystery to the procedure, thereby enhancingthe interest and pleasure obtained from playing with the dolls.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide dollsof the character described capable of having a reservoir of compressedair created therein which may be released for performance even after thedoll has been laid down and is untouched, to thereby attain effects notheretofore possible with dolls of the prior art.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the dolls of thepresent invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled inthe art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawingand from the description following. It is to be understood, however,that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make theprinciples and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible,and Without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific detailstherein shown.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, more or less schematic, vertical, sectional andpartly elevational view of one embodiment of a doll of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, elevational and partly sectional view of theactivating mechanism of the doll of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, more or less schematic, sectional and partlyelevational view of a modified embodiment of a doll of the invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the doll of the invention illustratedin the drawings, and with particular reference to the doll illustratedmore or less schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the same isshown to comprise a hollow torso, 10, having the neck portion, 12, onwhich is mounted the hollow head, 14, whose interior connects with theinterior of the torso 10 and which is provided with the mouth opening,16. Both or either of head and torso may be rigid-Walled or resilientlyflexiblewalled, as may be desired.

The torso 10 is provided, at its upper end, with the conventionalarm-receiving openings, 18, into which there may be inserted the upperends of arms, at least one of which, as 20, may be hollow andresiliently flexibly softwalled. Arm 20 has its upper end closed, as byclosure, 22, at least a portion of which, 22a may be, preferably,thickened, and have formed therein an opening, 24, into which may bytightly set, as by friction fit, or like manner, one end of air-conduitmeans connecting the interior of arm 20 with the mouth opening 16. Suchconduit means may include the tube, 26, and the one-way air valve, 28.Preferably, the air valve 28 may be interposed between the tube 26 andthe arm opening 24, with one of its tubular ends, 30, set into theopening 24 and its other tubular end connected to one end of tube 26,whose other end is connected with the mouth opening, 16, preferably bymeans of the eyelet, 32, set into the mouth opening, over which the endof tube 26 fits. It will be understood, however, that air valve 28 maybe disposed at any desired point between arm opening 24 and mouthopening 16. Also, if desired, an air-activated sound-producing devicemay be interposed in the conduit tube 26 between opening 24 and mouthopening 16, as more or less schematically indicated at 36.

Arm 20 is provided in its wall with an air inlet opening, 38, foradmitting air thereinto, of a size capable of being closed by the fingerof a child playing with the doll. It will be apparent that, if a childcloses the opening 38 with its finger and, at the same time, presses arm20, air will be expelled from the arm, through valve 28 and tube 26through mouth 16, causing any soundproducing device, such as 36, tosound, and to pass through mouth 16 into any device connected to themouth on the exterior of the doll, to inflate it or oherwise activate itby air pressure, as by the balloon, 40, connected to eyelet 32 bycoupling tube, 41.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a tubular T-joint, 42, is connected by twoof its ends into tube 26, its third end being connected to a reservoirballon, 44, disposed within torso 10. In this embodiment, should themouth opening 16 be closed, as by the nipple, 46, of bottle, 48, so thatair cannot escape through the mouth when the arm is compressed,compressed air from the arm 20 will pass into the balloon and inflate itand be kept therein in reserve, while mouth opening 16 remains closed,until bottle 48 is removed from the mouth opening 16. By thisarrangement, the doll may be caused to simulate crying, through soundproducing device 36', by first creating an air reserve in balloon 44, byshutting mouth opening 16 with the bottle nipple 46, and then removingthe nipple from the mouth opening, to permit air to pass through sounddevice 36 and mouth opening 16. The crying may be stopped by reinsertingnipple 46 into the mouth opening. Such action simulates the crying of ababy for a bottle and its pacification by giving it the bottle. Thelatter procedure, namely, the removal and replacement of bottle 48, maybe accomplished while the doll has been put down and not held by thechild playing with it.

It may here be stated that the term doll, as used in the specificationand claims herein, is used in a broad sense, and is intended to includeand cover any figurine of a construction that is comparable to that ofthe embodiment illustrated; namely, one having a wholly enclosedcompressible limb connectable by an opening, through a hollow bodysection with an opening in the body wall and capable of serving tocreate a stream of compressed air.

It will be apparent that the doll of the invention is of relativelysimplified construction and economical to manufacture and assemble; thatit is capable of supplying a unidirected stream of air under pressure toan exterior opening for use for substantially any purpose that air underpressure may be used; that the doll may be unostentatiously activated tocreate the stream of air under pressure; and that the doll may be causedto operate with a reserve supply of air under pressure, in a mystifyingmanner, even after it is laid down and released.

It will also be apparent that numerous modifications and variations maybe made in the doll of the invention, in accordance with the principlesof the invention, hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of anyinventive ingenuity. I desired therefore, to be protected for any andall such variations and modifications that may be made within theprinciples of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a doll having a body including a torso formed with alimb-receiving opening; a hollow, flexibly-resilient walled limb held byone end in said opening, said end having a limb closure; an air outletopening famed in the wall of said body and an air outlet opening formedin said limb closure; an air conduit connecting said air outlets, saidconduit including a one-way air valve; and an air inlet opening formedin the wall of said limb adapted to be closed by the finger of a personholding said limb.

2. The doll of claim 1, wherein said closure includes a portion ofrelatively thicker cross-section, said air outlet opening formed in saidthicker portion.

3. The doll of claim 2, wherein said air valve is set, by one end, insaid air outlet opening.

4. The doll of claim 1, wherein said torso is hollow and said bodyincludes a hollow head having a mouth opening and said air conduit isconnected by one end to said mouth opening.

5. The doll of claim 4, wherein said air conduit comprises a tube, saidtube having one end connected to said mouth opening and its other end tosaid one-way air valve, said air valve connected within said air outletopening of said limb.

6. The doll of claim 4, wherein said conduit includes a tube and whereinan eyelet is set into said mouth opening, one end of said tube fittedover said eyelet.

7. The doll of claim 1, wherein said torso is hollow and said conduit isconnected at a point between its said air valve and said body air outletopening to an elastic, expansible air reservoir disposed within saidtorso.

8. The doll of claim 7, wherein said body includes a hollow head havinga mouth opening and said air conduit is connected by one end with saidmouth opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,163,368 12/1915 Rosofsky 46-1171,547,354 7/1925 Baum 461l7 2,689,430 9/1954 Freeland 46l 17 3,154,88111/1964 Elwell 46-1l7 X FOREIGN PATENTS 817,728 6/1961 Great Britain.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner

